Contents

History

The X Factor (2010-11)

Originally, each member auditioned as a solo artist for the seventh season of The X Factor UK (It was Liam's second time auditioning, he first auditioned in 2008). They each made it through to bootcamp, but were eliminated prior to judges' houses. The judges decided that the groups were not evenly split. So, they called back ten contestants they previously favoured but felt weren't strong enough to be soloists. Among those contestants called back were Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry, and Louis. They were placed into a group and were allowed to continue competing.
Following bootcamp, all five members of the band spent two weeks living at Harry's dad's bungalow in Cheshire in order to get to know each other.

One Direction were the clear favorite to win throughout the season, generating massive and unprecedented fan and media hype. Ultimately, they finished in third place behind runner up Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle. Simon Cowell signed One Direction to his record label, Syco on December 13, 2010.

One Direction's fourth studio album, Four, was released on November 17, 2014. The album was announced on September 8 along with a free download of promotional single, "Fireproof". The song acquired over a million downloads in 24 hours. The album only featured two singles, "Steal My Girl" and "Night Changes". The album sold over a million copies in the USA and became their fourth to reach #1 on the US Billboard 200. Fans organised a significantly successful online project to promote album track "No Control" as if it were a single, which saw the song added to radio station playlists, featured in interactive video game Just Dance and eventually won a Teen Choice Award. Four was Zayn Malik's final album as a member of One Direction.

One Direction's fifth studio album, Made in the A.M., was released on November 13, 2015. It was their first album without Zayn Malik. "Drag Me Down" was the first single from the album, released on July 31, 2015. It sold more than 300,000 digital copies on the first day of release and was #1 in 90 countries on iTunes. Two more singles, "Perfect" and "History" were released, and reached the top 10 worldwide. As was the case with "No Control" on the band's previous album, fans organized a successful online campaign to promote "Home", a song which did not appear on Made In The A.M., but was released on the Perfect EP, a short collection of remixes and acoustic versions. The campaign saw "Home" added to radio playlists and was nominated for a Teen Choice Award.

Films

One Direction: This Is Us was the first theatrical concert film about One Direction, detailing what life is like for the band as they tour the world. It was shot in 3D. Filming started in January 2013. It was released in most countries at the end of August 2013. This Is Us is currently the fourth highest grossing concert movie, grossing over six times the film's budget. The band's music video for "Best Song Ever" featured preview clips from the film, and the plot of the video centered around One Direction being asked by a Hollywood production company to film a movie. The band has made suggestive comments in interviews about the documentary being heavily scripted.

"Where We Are - The Concert Film" was the second theatrical concert film of One Direction, showcasing one concert at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, during the band's 2014 Where We Are world tour. The film was exclusively released to cinema for two days from October 11, 2014. While mostly centered around the concert, the DVD featured behind the scenes footage of the band rehearsing songs, while discussing their success so far and recording their fourth album. The footage also showed the band visiting Christ The Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro on a day off. The film broke the record for the highest grossing event cinema production with a net total of $15 million.

Hiatus (2016-present)

On August 23, 2015, tabloid The Sun reported One Direction were taking a break in 2016, but used the headline "This Is The End" which caused other media outlets to report the band was splitting up. Niall confirmed the band would be taking a break from touring on Twitter the next day, but said they had no plans to split up. Louis also tweeted his reassurance and both said they still had lots more they wanted to achieve as a band. This hiatus is the band's first and only break since 2010. Sony confirmed they will not be pursuing solo careers[1]. The band has confirmed in numerous interviews they may write or produce songs for other acts, which Liam and Harry have already done in the past. Despite media outlets claiming the band is "breaking up", all four have continually explained this is simply a well deserved break[2], something all artists take. They've even expressed frustration with the continued assumption of a split; Niall stated, "It seems like no matter how many times we say that we are not breaking up, the more people are convinced we are breaking up, so I have given up trying to explain it. It will be good to be able to get home a bit more, because that really is the only downside of the gig.[3]" The exact time frame of the break is not confirmed as the band want to be able to decide when they're ready[4]. They have suggested 18 months, one year and two years. The hiatus officially began on December 13, 2015.

Concert tours

Headlining

Opening act

Awards and Nominations

Since 2011, One Direction has won a total of 245 awards and has been nominated for 366. Some of the more significant awards include two consecutive American Music Awards for Artist Of The Year, won in 2014 and 2015. The band also won four BRIT Awards and four World Music Awards.